Tuesday letters to the editor

Published 7:00 pm, Monday, February 14, 2005

It Works!

To the editor:

Would it surprise you to learn that Experience Works (formerly Green Thumb) is a charitable organization that has been providing services to seniors in Michigan for nearly 40 years? During that time, we have trained thousands of older job seekers and helped them find jobs. Like the 74-year-old woman who needed to chose between buying groceries or her medicines before she learned about Experience Works.

Most seniors we serve have incomes at or below the poverty level at the time they apply for our services. They desperately need to work and have no other options. Their fixed incomes no longer adequately cover medicines or food, or they are supporting grandchildren, or the loss of a spouse has pushed them into poverty. All have tried to find a job but have not been successful.

Experience Works relies on grants and private contributions to provide services to as many low income seniors as possible. Almost 90 percent of the funding we receive goes directly to older individuals as training wages or to support their training costs. When you give to Experience Works, your dollar gives double the value.

Most Experience Works trainees are assigned to community agencies through our Senior Community Service Employment Program. As part of their job training, the older trainees provide community services at agencies such as Red Cross, girls and boys clubs, veteran's associations, hospitals, and schools. In turn, the agencies gain workers that allow them to continue to provide, or even increase, services to your community.

Drivers courteous

For the past 22 winters, I have been amazed at the courtesy of the drivers in San Diego. This includes 15 or 20 trips through Los Angeles. Probably some road ragers would tell a different story.

San Diego is a big city with big problems and an equally big heart.

On a rainy night there will be more than 100 car accidents, the same proportion as in Midland.

Midland has one thing that no other city has, my home!

ARNOLD DECKER

Midland

Save our values

To the editor:

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Rehnquist recently admitted that the First Amendment of the Constitution had been misinterpreted. A "Wall of Separation between Church and State" does not exist and should be corrected as soon as possible before more damage is done to our society.

That phrase is being used to take God out of civil usage. The first amendment is very specific. It doesn't mention a wall, a separation, a church or a state. It merely states that Congress shall make no law respecting a religion. In other words there will never be a government mandated church unless Congress establishes one.

Americans are free to exercise their religion without interference from the government or evil organizations such as the ACLU Are you aware that its founders studied communism in USSR? Some of their strong-armed tactics bear this out. Individuals, communities, schools and churches, juries, etc are bullied by their unconstitutional "establishment clause" threats.

The ACLU is funded by many large wealthy foundations. Yet they threaten little God-fearing people with payment of all legal and court costs if they lose a case. It is apparent that the ACLU agenda is the demoralization of America by destroying the traditional moral values that most of us grew up with.

One of their latest projects is supporting atheist Michael Newdow in his effort to oust the House and Senate chaplains. This chaplaincy has been in place since 1789. Next it will be the chaplains of all our armed forces. Our fighting men and women need and want the spiritual leadership the chaplains offer. Michael Newdow is the person who sued to remove the words "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance.

These anti-God, anti-religion activists are very busy in all parts of our country, trying to weaken our moral beliefs. And sad to say, they are winning, because Bible-believing, Godly people are intimidated by the relentless, strong-armed methods these God haters use.

The civil liberties of Americans should be protected. We are entitled to the free exercise of religion according to our Constitution. Yet the ACLU is doing just the opposite. This is bigotry in the worst sense. It is so sick. When will it end? It will end only when those who are funding the ACLU finally realize they have been used by an unscrupulous evil force.

"Be not deceived, God is not mocked" is a Biblical quote worth remembering. May the merciful Lord in His infinite power, over-throw the anti-God forces and keep the moral values our great country was founded on secure.